Monday, July 30, 2007
Lewes Beach
We didn’t go to the beach last summer, so we definitely felt the need to go this summer. Lewes Beach is about an hour south of Dover, and, since it’s an inlet, the waves are very mild -- a great feature for the kids (although I distinctly remember jumping high to stay above the waves at Cocoa Beach in my youth -- what fun!).
MacKenzie doesn’t look very thrilled in the photo above, but I think it was just because I made her pose for the photo, which took time away from her other beach endeavors.
Benjamin had fun playing with the water. He and Papa made a small pond (not really a moat since it didn’t surround a sand castle), and he toted more buckets of water than I could count.
Dad wasn’t able to join us in 2005, so he wasn’t going to be left behind this time. I think the kids really enjoyed having him with us this time too (notice MacKenzie’s smile).
Benjamin was definitely Papa’s little shadow. He didn’t seem scared about heading out into chest-deep water, as long as someone was there with him. He didn’t even insist that I hold onto him when I was out there with him…although I did for my own peace of mind. He really enjoyed holding onto Papa and climbing up his legs. His monkey traits even came through in the water! What a kid!
MacKenzie definitely prefers the shallower water, and didn’t venture out very far without someone by her side. As always, she was content to play and dig on the shore.
Benjamin’s room at Nana and Papa’s house has a beach theme, and includes photos of Zachary and MacKenzie from previous beach trips. MacKenzie’s photo shows her sitting in a deep hole in the sand, while Zachary is buried up to his chest in his photo. Benjamin is very observant, and noticed that there wasn’t a beach photo of him in the collection...and he knew he wanted a photo of himself buried at the beach, and made sure we knew when he was ready to be buried for his photo.
When we dug the hole for him to sit in, he promptly put his feet in the hole (rather than sitting completely in the hole) so we could only cover his legs. He was tickled nonetheless, and giggled when his feet peaked through the sand. He loved it!
He definitely stayed busy at the beach. He was never at a loss for things to do...from wading back out into the water to searching for rocks (they were so pretty and smooth). He was perfectly content exploring everything the ocean water had to offer.
After a while, he even got up the courage to kick the waves as they broke over his feet. I love the look of concentration (and tongue sticking out) as he makes a big splash!
This photo is classic -- it shows all three of the kids doing what they seemed to enjoy most: MacKenzie digging a hole, Benjamin dumping water, and Zachary buried up to his neck in sand!
Zachary was actually buried twice. The first time was pretty benign, but Nana and Papa had fun with a little creative license the second time around. At first, Zachary was a nicely-figured mermaid, then Nana quickly decided to make him into a merman with a well-defined set of six-pack abs. At least he was a good sport about it and even smiled for the camera.
He cringed when Papa poured water on him to wash away the sand, but seemed to enjoy the gradual unearthing.
Benjamin even displayed his rock collection on Zachary's abdomen -- more artistic license.
When it was time to pack up and head back home, Benjamin decided he needed to water the sand. He even ran back to the water twice for refills. Too cute!
When we rinsed off in the bathroom before heading back to the car, we realized we didn’t have Benjamin's change of clothes with us. Fortunately, MacKenzie had hers so she let him wear her cover-up. He commented that people would not know if he was a boy or girl while wearing it, but also decided that he wanted to wear it during the ride home. I figured it wasn’t a battle worth fighting, so off we went.
When we got home, he still wanted to wear the “dress” a while longer. After a few minutes looking like a Jedi knight playing with his remote-controlled car, he finally decided he was ready for his clothes again. Whew! He did look cute though!
MacKenzie doesn’t look very thrilled in the photo above, but I think it was just because I made her pose for the photo, which took time away from her other beach endeavors.
Benjamin had fun playing with the water. He and Papa made a small pond (not really a moat since it didn’t surround a sand castle), and he toted more buckets of water than I could count.Dad wasn’t able to join us in 2005, so he wasn’t going to be left behind this time. I think the kids really enjoyed having him with us this time too (notice MacKenzie’s smile).
Benjamin was definitely Papa’s little shadow. He didn’t seem scared about heading out into chest-deep water, as long as someone was there with him. He didn’t even insist that I hold onto him when I was out there with him…although I did for my own peace of mind. He really enjoyed holding onto Papa and climbing up his legs. His monkey traits even came through in the water! What a kid!
MacKenzie definitely prefers the shallower water, and didn’t venture out very far without someone by her side. As always, she was content to play and dig on the shore.
Benjamin’s room at Nana and Papa’s house has a beach theme, and includes photos of Zachary and MacKenzie from previous beach trips. MacKenzie’s photo shows her sitting in a deep hole in the sand, while Zachary is buried up to his chest in his photo. Benjamin is very observant, and noticed that there wasn’t a beach photo of him in the collection...and he knew he wanted a photo of himself buried at the beach, and made sure we knew when he was ready to be buried for his photo.When we dug the hole for him to sit in, he promptly put his feet in the hole (rather than sitting completely in the hole) so we could only cover his legs. He was tickled nonetheless, and giggled when his feet peaked through the sand. He loved it!
He definitely stayed busy at the beach. He was never at a loss for things to do...from wading back out into the water to searching for rocks (they were so pretty and smooth). He was perfectly content exploring everything the ocean water had to offer.
After a while, he even got up the courage to kick the waves as they broke over his feet. I love the look of concentration (and tongue sticking out) as he makes a big splash!
This photo is classic -- it shows all three of the kids doing what they seemed to enjoy most: MacKenzie digging a hole, Benjamin dumping water, and Zachary buried up to his neck in sand!
Zachary was actually buried twice. The first time was pretty benign, but Nana and Papa had fun with a little creative license the second time around. At first, Zachary was a nicely-figured mermaid, then Nana quickly decided to make him into a merman with a well-defined set of six-pack abs. At least he was a good sport about it and even smiled for the camera.He cringed when Papa poured water on him to wash away the sand, but seemed to enjoy the gradual unearthing.
Benjamin even displayed his rock collection on Zachary's abdomen -- more artistic license.
When it was time to pack up and head back home, Benjamin decided he needed to water the sand. He even ran back to the water twice for refills. Too cute!When we rinsed off in the bathroom before heading back to the car, we realized we didn’t have Benjamin's change of clothes with us. Fortunately, MacKenzie had hers so she let him wear her cover-up. He commented that people would not know if he was a boy or girl while wearing it, but also decided that he wanted to wear it during the ride home. I figured it wasn’t a battle worth fighting, so off we went.
When we got home, he still wanted to wear the “dress” a while longer. After a few minutes looking like a Jedi knight playing with his remote-controlled car, he finally decided he was ready for his clothes again. Whew! He did look cute though!
Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa, Stateside visits, Zachary
